Alert archive / Louisiana / Tornado Watches in 1999

Tornado Watch 3

January 1, 199934 parishes in Louisiana; Issaquena County, Sharkey County, Mississippi; 12 counties in Texas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jan 1, 1999, 11:00 PM CST for 34 parishes in Louisiana; Issaquena County, Sharkey County, Mississippi; 12 counties in Texas. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jan 1, 1999, 11:00 PM CST (05:00 UTC)
Expired
Jan 2, 1999, 5:00 AM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 48 counties

Acadia Parish, LA, Allen Parish, LA, Avoyelles Parish, LA, Beauregard Parish, LA, Bienville Parish, LA, Calcasieu Parish, LA, Caldwell Parish, LA, Cameron Parish, LA, Catahoula Parish, LA, Claiborne Parish, LA, Concordia Parish, LA, De Soto Parish, LA, East Carroll Parish, LA, Evangeline Parish, LA, Franklin Parish, LA, Grant Parish, LA, Jackson Parish, LA, Jefferson Davis Parish, LA, LaSalle Parish, LA, Lincoln Parish, LA, Madison Parish, LA, Morehouse Parish, LA, Natchitoches Parish, LA, Ouachita Parish, LA, Rapides Parish, LA, Red River Parish, LA, Richland Parish, LA, Sabine Parish, LA, Tensas Parish, LA, Union Parish, LA, Vernon Parish, LA, Webster Parish, LA, West Carroll Parish, LA, Winn Parish, LA, Issaquena County, MS, Sharkey County, MS, Brazoria County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Galveston County, TX, Hardin County, TX, Jasper County, TX, Jefferson County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Newton County, TX, Orange County, TX, Sabine County, TX, San Augustine County, TX, Tyler County, TX

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:00 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

Warnings issued inside it

18 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 1, 11:08 PM CSTTornado WarningLCHHardin62 min
Jan 1, 11:25 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXChambers, Galveston90 min
Jan 1, 11:25 PM CSTTornado WarningHGXChambers65 min
Jan 1, 11:44 PM CSTTornado WarningLCHJefferson61 min
Jan 1, 11:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXChambers, Galveston65 min
Jan 1, 11:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHGXLiberty61 min
Jan 2, 12:26 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHJasper64 min
Jan 2, 12:35 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHNewton65 min
Jan 2, 12:51 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHCalcasieu64 min
Jan 2, 1:16 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHBeauregard64 min
Jan 2, 1:53 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHCameron62 min
Jan 2, 1:55 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHCalcasieu65 min
Jan 2, 2:06 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHAllen64 min
Jan 2, 2:38 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHJefferson Davis62 min
Jan 2, 3:04 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHAcadia66 min
Jan 2, 3:32 AM CSTTornado WarningLCHAvoyelles63 min
Jan 2, 3:44 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningJANMadison, Tensas76 min
Jan 2, 4:02 AM CSTTornado WarningJANConcordia33 min

The nearest sounding before it

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 68 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 1999-01-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 437 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 1999-01-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 202 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
437 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
704 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
202 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
238 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
2.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

999 
WWUS9 KMKC 020417
SEL3  
MKC WW 020417
TXZ000-LAZ000-021100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 3
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1017 PM CST FRI JAN 1 1999

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   SOUTHEAST TEXAS                              
   NORTHERN AND WESTERN LOUISIANA                          
   AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING FROM 1100 PM UNTIL
500 AM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 80 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GALVESTON TEXAS TO 30 MILES
NORTH OF MONROE LOUISIANA.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...  CONTINUE...WW 2...

DISCUSSION...CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS...INCLUDING A FEW
SUPERCELLS...CONTINUES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TX. ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE
INTO WESTERN LA WHERE INSTABILITY IS NOT QUITE AS STRONG BUT WIND
FIELDS REMAIN FAVORABLE.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.

...VESCIO

285,0953 325,0932 325,0903 285,0930

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 1, 7:30 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBossier, Caddo, Claiborne, De Soto, Red River, Webster6 hr
Jan 2, 3:00 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCAscension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville and 22 more6 hr
Jan 2, 9:00 AM CSTTornado WatchSPCGeorge, Greene, Jackson, Perry, Wayne6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Louisiana, 1999Tornado Watches in Texas, 1999Tornado Watches in Mississippi, 1999Every tornado watch in 1999

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.